Genetic Engneering-Painting By Dr Taha H Malasi

Genetic Engenering; is it a blessing or a curse: Painting by Taha Malasi

This painting is about Genetic engineering. It is a symbolic painting represents cells division with a man and a women floating in or tampering with their own genetic material!!!

Humans love to tamper with nature that is how we progress. However, with every new invention, there are new risks and dangers. Humanity did progress with science no denial. But the problem we created with our success usually is bigger, some times even bigger than our earth can cope with. We tampered with the environment, with nuclear energy, animals and plants and our own genes. Now we poisoned the earth with carbondioxide and cause extinctionof many species. So far we failed even to agree a measure to save life on earth and stop extinction But now we are dangerously tampering with our basic FOOD, something we can’t afford .

Life started , according to science, 3.7 billion years ago. Animals and plant evolved slowly and surely through a convoluted maze of trials and error to finally form a successfully stable and perfect genetic formula that ensures its survival. Can tampering with genes, adding and subtracting improves on nature and create better species of plants and animals?

Genetic Engineering -The Process:

Genetic engineering promise to feed the multitude in Africa and the world, reduce pesticide, save the environment and the earth. However just looking to the ‘process’ itself raise questions. The process of introducing of a gene into the genetic material entails using a (virus) to transport and insert it in the right place! The chosen virus, according to scientist is non-active and not harmful! However we all know viruses continuously change and multiplies with cell division . There is no guarantee this virus remain dormant and harmless. There is no guarantee that the genes of the new modified species will remain stable, it may crash down in few years. We know from experience, from growing GM crops that their (pollens) quickly contaminate the surrounding natural crops. In time, if this allowed (as in Africa) all our natural food plants will contain the GM genes and (natural plants will be eliminated- i.e. become extinct ) if GM crops crashed or become harmful ,that will be the end of our food and us.